I was having a nice chat with my cousin Ramani during our recent family get-together at Chennai when another relative came across and asked me “When are you leaving?” Before I could answer, Ramani responded asking him to be more specific by asking me as to when I intended leaving from Chennai or from this world.
Now, that is the kind of humour that I can expect from my relatives who are all nearing the stage when every day is a bonus. All of us had a great laugh and the moment passed, but the quip has stayed with me as to how fickle our life really is, particularly since my return to Pune when every morning’s tally of the number of people killed in the recent landslide keeps going up. And there are other reports of people killed in accidents, the war in the Middle East and so on and so forth.
On the other hand, new life keeps coming up and there are also news of them, but not as much as I would like to see in the media. But I do know that it is happening and that is the beauty of life. It keeps going on and death and birth are but two sides of the same coin.
So, the next time I am asked this question, I intend answering “I am ready and willing to go now.”
Ah, if only things would be so simple.
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